Interview with Maria Osbourne Perry

Q: For someone who has not read your books yet, how would you describe them?

A: I write a lot of genres. Erotic Dreams And Satin Sheets is, despite the unlikely title, a collection of short stories of a different genres, some, of course, with erotic elements. Overall the collection contains a lot of dark themes. My new novel, Ravished Wings, just released by Zumaya Publications, is straight erotic fantasy, however. An adult fairy tale romance with a little sword & sorcery.

Q: Do you follow a strict outline when you write, or does the story “flow”?

A: Well, when an idea first comes it just flows. I let it have its way for a time, until I go to write it down. That’s when I have to take control of the issues going on to make everything coherent for readers.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your future plans?

A: I’ve started a sequel to Ravished Wings, and there’s a story involving voodoo that’s on the backburner.

Q: What did you like to read when you were a child?

A: I know this sounds awful nerdy, but I loved the encyclopedia! Along with that I was pretty well addicted to Edgar Allen Poe.

Q: When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

A: Quite young, actually. I’d write little stories down on plain paper, which I also “illustrated”, and these my mom would bind together. I simply loved creating little worlds and characters of my own.

Q: What areas or challenges lie ahead for you in writing?

A: Like most authors I’d like to get more notice, of course! Erotica, whether by overall theme or just elements, turns a lot of critics away. Another challenge is setting the time aside for myself. I love spending time with my children and husband, too; often the writing just has to wait until the kids are napping and my beloved is at work. I’m also trying to hone my battle and male confrontation descriptions.

Q: What has the Internet meant for you as an author?

A: If it wasn’t for the opportunities via the net I doubt I’d be published yet. Submitting chapters to the “big boys” was going nowhere; they either weren’t interested or if they were, wanted me to change my manuscripts to make them more standardized. But with the breakthroughs in Internet publishing the avenues truly opened up. I found publishers who want more than formula romance or manuscripts that just copycat those by the biggest money-making writers. These “new-fangled” publishers seek fresh ideas for the evolving tastes of readers. Its a lot like radio of the early fifties, when a thing called rock-n-roll was considered nothing more than a splash-in-the-pan fad. The record industry wanted to hang on to the tried-and-true money makers; but all that was swept away with the changing tide of popular tastes. And this is how I see the literary scene today. The readers want more available, they want variety, they want their intellect challenged, and I feel this the internet publishing industry has addressed where the old industry publishing houses have consciously failed.